NL West

Now Commenting On:

Maddon not a big fan of team meetings

Maddon not a big fan of team meetings

Email

Print

By
/
MLB.com |

ARLINGTON -- Despite the fact his team was down 0-2 in the American League Division Series, manager Joe Maddon did not have a team meeting on Friday afternoon, when the Rays worked out at Rangers Ballpark.

"I'm OK with the players gathering," Maddon said. "I've sat as a coach and a player in the corner during so many meetings by managers. I've honestly never seen one that truly mattered. If there's an impact, it's like two or three days down the road. It's normally not that day.

"And furthermore, always choose your meetings based on your starting pitcher that day. If you want to look good and make that meeting mean something, chose the right starting pitcher."

Instead of having a team meeting, Maddon usually walks around during batting practice, or in Friday's case, the workout, to have conversations with groups of players or individuals. Usually, the subject of those discussions has nothing to do with baseball. On Friday, Maddon solicited opinions from players about which car they would rather have if they had a choice between a Jeep Wrangler and a Grand Cherokee.

Maddon is considering buying a new vehicle once the season is over.

"There's nothing really substantial you can take that's going to make a huge difference right now after this many games," Maddon said. "They just need to feel the support that you have as a manager and a coaching staff. They need to know how much you care about them. And that's what we're trying to exhibit with them right now."